With Net and Coble

An ancient and environmentally friendly method of catching salmon, by spotting them in the water and taking them with 'net and coble', unique to the Cromarty Firth, was recently banned by the Scottish government.

The men who knew this way of fishing are no longer young, and there is every risk of their centuries-old techniques dying with them. So it is fortunate that a practitioner of the craft for over fifty years has drawn on his knowledge and experience to paint a rich picture of this fishing, the firthland itself and the history of salmon netting. He describes great fishing days, the life of the fishing bothy and the characters who inhabited it. He takes the reader through the fish's life cycle and discusses declining catches and the threats to the wild salmon's future.

His and his fellow netsmen's respect for this legendary fish and their love of the firth and its wildlife shine through. With maps, many photographs and a helpful glossary, the story is enhanced by recipes, anecdote and character sketches, also five poems on fishing, the work of a variety of hands. While anglers and conservationists will be drawn to this unique account, there is much to interest the general reader, who will discover a vanished world, grand Highland characters and the delights of fishing in a beautiful setting.

18 colour, 100 b/w illustrations

About the Author

George Chamier was partly brought up in Ross-shire and educated at Eton and the universities of Cambridge and Lancaster. After seven years as an advertising executive in London and Amsterdam, he became a full-time fisherman in the Highlands for twelve years, having first learned the art of net and coble fishing for salmon as a schoolboy. George retired as Head of History at Bradfield College in 2005 and now lives in London, working as a tutor and editor. Until 2018 he spent at least a month every summer fishing on the Cromarty Firth.

His previously published works include When it Happened in Britain and When it Happened in Scotland (both Constable), The First Light, a history of Innerpeffray, Scotland's oldest lending library, and Britain's Greatest Prime Ministers (Endeavour Press). 'Cold Iron', an article about the fishing, appeared in Archipelago magazine.